Live eating BP wont take F/T

[lunasjy]

I am at my wits end. I live in Alberta Canada where it is illegal to keep live rats so the only way to get them is by buying F/T rats. When I bought this female, I was told she was on F/T, but she sure isn't. She is terrified of F/T. Like literally runs from it. I have tried and tried F/T so after a month I caved and gave her 2 live mice (which she could probably take 4). She at them one after the other with no issues at all, problem is, live mice is super expesive to feed to an adult BP. It is $3 a mouse and that comes out to $9-$12 a feeding where a medium rat would cost $4. I cannot afford to feed her this way. I have tried braining, egg dipping, mouse scenting, F/T ASF (Something else I cannot get live in my immediate area). I have tried feed F/T mice, splitting open the stomach, and I think that is it. I need to figure something out or I will have to get rid of her. Any advice out there? I have no issues feeding live, I just do not have the money to spend up to $48 a month to feed one snake.

[Samong]

How old and how large is she?

[lunasjy]

How old and how large is she?

She is 2 years and some months old (she is a late 2012 so sometime August to December she will be 3). She is only 1200g but super long. About 4-5ft or so. She is very skinny though which is another reason I would like her to get onto F/T so I can give her more healthier rats.

[nightrainfalls]

How are you preparing the F/t Rats?

How are you Presenting them?

David

[lunasjy]

I should say I have 9 other ball pythons, a boa and a corn. I feed them by putting the rats in a plastic bag and stick them in super hot tap water, dumping out the water and heating them up again if the water has gone cold. I know ball pythons hunt with sight, heat and smell. I use tongs with all my snakes. She is the only one that eats live. I have a sugar who was also on live but being young, I easily transferred her over the F/T. I have couple of other snakes that were the same but this paticular BP has been fed live her whole life for all i know and she wont take F/T.

[DVirginiana]

I can sympathize. We've looked at every petstore in our area, and they all sell only adult mice and large rats. The rats are too big, so we're stuck feeding live mice (because of course my snake refuses f/t).

Good luck getting her on a more manageable food source.

[lunasjy]

It would not be such a big deal if I only had one snake, but I don't and they all cost monthly for food of course. My oldest bp costs me $14 a month to feed, this ball python who is most likely only going to get bigger so far cost me $36 in April. It might not seem much but not even my dogs cost me that much to feed monthly and I have three of those. I love all my bps the moment I take them home, so i already have become attached to this female and I do not want to give her up, but she is costing me more then I can handle right now. It really sucks.